Meta's new WhatsApp fees on 1 October 2026

Until that date · your replies inside the window are free 30 September 2026 Since October 1, 2026 · about SAR 0.04 for every message you send

A conversation where the system replies six times costs ≈SAR 0.24. The marker sits mid-drawing for clarity, not because it is the midpoint of a period.

What changes

From a free service to a fee on every message

Until September 30, 2026, pricing distinguished between a message you start (a paid template) and a message you send as a reply inside the 24-hour window after the customer's message (free). Most plans on the market were built on that free window.

Since October 1, 2026, every message sent is charged, so the agent's own reply became a line on the bill after being free.

Look at the last row: at ten thousand conversations, Meta’s fees alone come to about SAR 2,406 a month, before any operating cost. So if a provider offers you a fixed price for this volume on the official API, ask them: who pays the difference?

With Naateq, Meta's WhatsApp message fees are included in the subscription, and we pay them: SAR 99 a month for Essential and SAR 199 for Professional, with no setup fee. Details are on the pricing page.

Getting ready

Four steps to keep your bill in check

1. 1
   Know your current numbers.

   How many conversations do you get a month, and how many messages does your system send per conversation on average? With those two numbers you can work out your bill.

2. 2
   Ask your provider one question.

   “Who pays Meta's message fees?” and ask for the answer to be written into the contract.

3. 3
   Review reply length.

   Every extra message bubble is charged. A system that answers in one clear message saves you money and is easier on the customer.

4. 4
   Spread out how customers reach you.

   Open Instagram and Messenger alongside WhatsApp, since their messages have no per-message fee.

And to see the full picture together with market prices, read How much does a WhatsApp reply system cost in Saudi Arabia. To compare the official API with an unofficial connection, read can a WhatsApp number be banned for using automated replies.

What hasn't changed

What stays the same

The change applies to service messages only, meaning what your business sends inside the 24-hour window after a customer's message. Two things don't change:

1. 1
   A customer's message to you is always free.

   You pay nothing for what you receive, however much of it there is. The fees are on what you send.

2. 2
   The 24-hour window stays as it is.

   The customer's message opens it, and sending outside it requires an approved template. What's new is that messages inside it are charged too.

Reducing it

How to lower the bill without lowering the service

The fees are counted per message sent, not per conversation. So anything that cuts the number of bubbles while keeping the answer clear saves money directly.

The idea is for the system to put the answer in one complete message, instead of sending “Hi” then “How can I help?” then the answer in three bubbles. That way the reply is cheaper and clearer for the customer at the same time.

Your bill now

How to read your bill, and where the mistake usually is

Meta's bill splits your messages by category. Three common mistakes push the number higher than it should be, and each one can be fixed in a day:

1. 1
   Service templates categorized as marketing.

   A message's category sets its price, and a service message categorized as marketing costs several times more. Check each template's category once.

2. 2
   Reminders sent outside the window.

   They get rejected or turn into a paid template at a higher price. A good system checks the window before sending and alerts you, instead of logging the send as successful.

3. 3
   Repeated replies to the same question.

   A question that comes up a hundred times a month with no entry in the knowledge base means a hundred escalations and a hundred manual replies, and all of them are charged.

With the new fees, their impact grows on systems that send lots of messages. A system that solves the question in its first reply pays for one or two messages, while one that sends six messages and then hands the conversation over pays for all of them, plus the staff member's reply. The full price breakdown is in How much does a WhatsApp reply system cost in Saudi Arabia.

Frequently asked

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